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Differenting Useful Functions - Calculus

This document introduces two additional functions - the exponential function exp(x) and the sine function sin(x) - that can be used to build more complex functions. It also introduces two new operations: substitution and inversion. Substitution involves using the output of one function as the input to another, written as f(g(x)). Inversion involves taking the inverse of a function. The chain rule is then derived, which provides a formula for finding the derivative of a function created by substituting one function into another. Some examples applying the chain rule to find derivatives are also provided.

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RaghuSrinivasan
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31 views

Differenting Useful Functions - Calculus

This document introduces two additional functions - the exponential function exp(x) and the sine function sin(x) - that can be used to build more complex functions. It also introduces two new operations: substitution and inversion. Substitution involves using the output of one function as the input to another, written as f(g(x)). Inversion involves taking the inverse of a function. The chain rule is then derived, which provides a formula for finding the derivative of a function created by substituting one function into another. Some examples applying the chain rule to find derivatives are also provided.

Uploaded by

RaghuSrinivasan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Home|CalculusforBeginners|Chapter6 ToolsGlossaryIndexUpPreviousNext

6.1DerivativesofMostUsefulFunctions
Rationalfunctionsareanimportantandusefulclassoffunctions,butthereareothers.Weactuallygetmostusefulfunctionsby
startingwithtwoadditionalfunctionsbeyondtheidentityfunction,andallowingtwomoreoperationsinadditiontoaddition
subtractionmultiplicationanddivision.

Whatadditionalstartingfunctions?

Thetwoaretheexponentialfunction,whichwewillwriteforthemomentasexp(x),andthesinefunction,whichis
generallywrittenassin(x).

Andwhatarethese?

Wewilldevotesometimeandefforttointroducinganddescribingthesetwofunctionsandtheirmanywonderfulproperties
verysoon.Fornow,allwecareaboutisthattheyexist,youcanfindthemonspreadsheetsandscientificcalculators,andwe
canperformarithmeticoperations(addition,subtraction,multiplicationanddivision)onthem.Ifyouwantjustahint,thesine
functionisthebasicfunctionofthestudyofangles,whichiscalledtrigonometry.Theexponentfunctionisdefinedinterms
ofderivatives.Itisthefunctionwhosevalueatargument0is1,thathasderivativeeverywherethatisthesameasitself.
Wehave

Thisdefinitionmaymakethefunctionabitmysterioustoyouatfirst,butyouhavetoadmitthatitmakesiteasyto
differentiatethisfunction.

Andwhatadditionaloperationsarethere?

Thetwonewoperationsthatwewanttousearesubstitution,andinversion.

Andwhatarethese?

Ifwehavetwofunctions,fandg,withvaluesf(x)andg(x)atargumentx,wecanconstructanewfunction,whichwewriteas
f(g),thatisgottenbyusingthevalueofgatargumentxastheargumentoff.Thevalueoff(g)atx,whichwewriteas
f(g(x)),isthevalueoffatargumentgivenbythevalueofgatxitisthevalueoffatargumentg(x).Wecallthisnew
functionthesubstitutionofgintof.We'llgettoinversionnext.

Ifyousubstituteapolynomialintoapolynomial,youjustgetapolynomial,andifyousubstitutearationalfunctionintoa
rationalfunction,youstillhavearationalfunction.Butifyousubstitutethesethingsintoexponentialsandsinesyouget
entirelynewthings(likeexp(cx2))whichisthebasicfunctionofprobabilitytheory.

Justasutilizingcopiesoftheexponentialorsinefunctionspresentsnoproblemtoaspreadsheetorscientificcalculator,
substitutionpresentsnorealproblem.Youcancreateg(A10)inB10,andthenf(B10)inC(10)andyouhavecreatedthe
substitutedvaluef(g(A10))inC10.Youcan,byrepeatingthisprocedure,constructthemosthorriblelookingcombinationof
substitutionsandarithmeticaloperationsimaginable,andevenworsethanyoucouldimagine,withverylittledifficulty,and
youcanfindtheirnumericalderivativesaswell.

Beforewegoontothelastoperation,wenotethatthereisagreatpropertyassociatedwiththeoperationofsubstitution.Justas
wehavefoundformulaeaboveforfindingthederivativeofasumorproductorratiooffunctionswhosederivativesweknow,
wehaveaneatformulaforthederivativeofasubstitutionfunctionintermsofthethederivativesofitsconstituents.
Actuallyitisaboutassimpleaformulaforthisascouldbe.

Theresultisoftencalledthechainrule:

Thederivativef(g(x))withrespecttoxatsomeargumentz,likeanyotherderivative,istheslopeofthestraightlinetangentto
thisfunction,atargumentz.Thisslope,likeallslopes,istheratioofthechangeinthegivenfunctiontoachangeinits
argument,inanyintervalverynearargumentz.
Supposethen,wemakeaverysmallchangeinthevariablex,veryneartox=z,achangethatissufficientlysmallthatthe
linearapproximationtogandtof(g)areextremelyaccuratewithintheintervalofchange.Letuscallthatchangedx.Thiswill
causeachangeing(x)ofg'(z)dx,(becausethedefinitionofg'(z)istheratioofthechangeofgtothechangeofxforxvery
neartoz.)

Ifg'(z)is0,thengwillnotchangeandneitherwillf(g(x)),whichdependsonxonlyinthatitsargumentgdependsonx.

Ifg'(z)isnot0,wecandefinedgtobeg'(z)dx,andusethefactthatthechangeinfforargumentsnearg(z)isgivenby

isevaluatedforargumentsofgnearg(z).

Ifweputthesetwostatementstogether,whichwecandobysubstitutingforg'(z)dxfordgintheexpressionherefordf,we
findthatthechangeinfisgivenbythechangeinzmultipliedbytheproductofthetwoderivativesandthechangeinx:

Ifwenowdividebothsidesbydx,weobtainthefamous"chainrule",whichtellsushowtocomputethederivativeofa
functiondefinedbysubstitutingonefunctioninanother.

Itfollowsfromthisremarkthatthechainrulesreads

Inwords,thismeansthatthederivativeofthesubstitutedfunctionwithvaluesf(g(z)),withrespecttothevariablezis
theproductofthederivativesoftheconstituentfunctionsfandg,takenattherelevantarguments:whicharezitself
forgandg(z)forf.

Howaboutsomeexamples?

Wewillgivetwoexamples,butyoushouldworkoutatleastadozenforyourself.

Example1:Supposewesubstitutethefunctiongdescribedbyvaluesg(x)=x2+1intothefunctionfdescribedby
valuesf(x)=x33.Thesubstitutedfunctionf(g)hasvaluesf(g(x))=(x2+1)33.
Letuscomputethederivativeofthisfunction.Thederivativeoff(s)withrespecttosis3s2,whilethederivativeofg(x)with
respecttoxis2x.
Ifwesets=g(x)andtaketheproductofthesetwoweget:

Youcouldmultiplythecubehereoutandthendifferentiatetogetthesameanswer,butthatismuchmessier,andmostpeople
wouldmakeatleastonemistakeindoingit.Youhaveachanceofgettingsuchthingsrighteventhefirsttime,ifyoudothem
bythechainrule.(Unfortunately,ifyoudo,youwillnotgetanypracticedebuggingfromit.)

Example2:Findthederivativeofthefunctionwhosevaluesare .

Thisisthefunctionobtainedbysubstitutingthefunctionwithvalues intotheexponentialfunction.

Nowthederivativeofthefunctionwithvalues isthefunctionwithvaluesx(rememberthattheexponentialfunctionis

itsownderivative.)
Onapplyingthechainrulewefind:
Exercises:

7.1Writeanexpressionfortheresultofsubstitutinggintoftoformf(g)forthefollowingpairsoffunctions,andfind
expressionsfortheirderivativesusingthechainrule.

a.fdefinedby ,gdefinedby .

b.fdefinedbyf(x)=x,gbyg(x)=exp(x).

c.fdefinedbyf(x)=exp(x),gbyg(x)=x.

7.2Checkeachofyourresultsusingthederivativeapplet.

7.3a.Considerthefunctiondefinedbytheformulax42x+3.Usetheapplettoplotitandseeitsderivative.Whereis
itsminimumvalue,andwhatisit?Whatisitsderivativeattheminimumpoint?Estimatethesethingsfromthe
applet.

b.Findthemaximumpointforfandthevalueoffatthatargument
approximatelyforfdefinedbyf(x)=x2exp(x).

OK,whereamInow?

Atthispointyouhaverulesthatenableyoutodifferentiateallfunctionsthatyoucanmakeupusingarithmeticoperationsand
substitutionsstartingwiththeidentityfunction(f(x)=x)orwiththemysteriousexponentialfunction,f(x)=exp(x).
Inthenextsectionwewillextendthingssoyoucanstartwiththesinefunction,f=sinxaswellanddifferentiate
anythingyoucancreate.Finallywewillextendtherulestodifferentiatinginversefunctionsaswell.

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